I really hope and pray that the healing process picks up and he starts feeling much better with each passing day.

Shirley

You must be so worried. I can't stand to see someone in pain. Healing thoughts and prayers coming his way. I sure hope he's feeling better ASAP.

I really was surprised to see they sent him home with a catheter, since they are notoriously easy to infect. I'm so sorry your dh is suffering so--hard for you too to see and hear!! I'm glad they will take it out early and hope he's on the road to a REAL recovery very soon. Poor guy, and poor you, Jasdip!

Sounds so unpleasant--for both of you. I hope it turns around quickly.

That doesn't seem ok to me. Did they check a hemoglobin? By now the bleeding should have stopped. Glad you are seeing the surgeon soon. I would demand to have a hemoglobin checked, that way you will know approx. how much he has bled from his pre-surgery check. Like I said, doesn't seem normal to me.

Sleeper, his hemoglobin is 102. It was 98 when we were discharged from the hospital. Apparently there's a window of about 10% that can fluctuate and still be normal.

Erin, coming home with catheters is very normal. When hubby had his TURP in Oct, he had 5 days with the cath, but a home care nurse came in 3 times, the 3rd time to remove it.

He's wearing a red band that says that this catheter can only be removed by a urologist or his surgeon, which is why we have to go back to the surgeon (an hour away) to have it removed tomorrow.

What a miserable experience for you both. I hope tomorrow is the start of better days.

So sorry to hear this Sherry. So hope things start getting better soon.

Sue

Poor guy. What an awful experience. Hope it is all behind him soon.

So sorry for steps backward! Hoping to learn about steps forward, very soon.
Prayers continue for both of you.

Keeping both of you in my prayers.

Oh, I thought they had YOU changing it--glad to know it's not the case. Yes, it's the changing that will sometimes do it. We want to hear a "feeling better" report tomorrow! I hope you both have a peaceful night's sleep.

Sending good thoughts Jas.hope his recovery is speedy.

Keeping you both in my prayers and thoughts. It's hard not to be miserable when those we love are hurting! Take care, sweetie!

Happy to hear that he is having the Cather removed. That in itself will
be a relief for him. Sending healing thoughts.

Erin, when you say 'changing it', do you mean the two bags? Yes he does the changing, and washing of the bags.

Removal of the catheter........no. LOL

Coming home with a catheter, and a daytime and overnight bag are common with surgeries. We empty, wash and change the bags from one to the other. Disinfect the tubing, etc.

He had cramps again overnight last nite but had taken a
"Percaset" (sp) pain-killer before he went to sleep as a cautionary measure, so it wasn't as bad.

Spasms are common because the body is rejecting the foreign object, but the ones the other nite were excruciating and with no fluid in the bag we were alarmed.

So sorry you are having to go through this. Prayers for hubby & you. My DH had bad problems similar so I know what you are having to deal with, its horrible. I pray all goes well and he feels better soon.
Hugs, JoAnn

I had to look up what a hemoglobin of 102 was. Apparently we measure ours by deciliter, and Canada measures theirs by liter. So 102 is 10.2 here in the States. That's low, but acceptable. He will be very tired until his body makes more, which can take weeks to months so just be aware of this. I'm glad to here he is using his pain control pills. It is much easier to treat when you are not having to play catch-up and treat excruciating pain.

I hope that things are going well, today, sherry.

Did you have to come to London?

If I'd known, I could have come to sit with you ... but likely the removal would be quite quickly done with, so you'd be on your way without a lot of waiting.

Good wishes for the coming days. I doubt that there's anything that I can do to help, but let me know if you feel that there may be. Should you need to be coming to London, likely I could come to sit with you.

ole joyful

One note based on my experience with a catheter and pain pills. Get a fiber supplement or Miralax or Colace - something. If he ends up constipated, then there can be more problems.

Jim

Thanks for all the good wishes!!

Home from the doc (OJ, it wasn't in London, it was Hamilton).

Jim, we were told in the beginning to make sure he doesn't get constipated. Stool softener was prescribed and he's also taking Metamucil. Even with the catheter gone now, he's still keeping up with them, so that he doesn't do unnecessary straining on his abdomen.

He's being watchful with possible incontinence now which is a possible side-effect with prostate surgery.

Sherry, sure hope that the worst is over and he'll be more comfortable now. It sure is hard being sick or watching your loved ones be in pain. It makes the good days even better and easier to appreciate. Best to both of you.
Satine

It sounds truly awful.. Glad that things are now looking up. The worst has to be over. ENjoy your weekend with less drama and more resting.

Sorry that time got away from me and I didn't answer your question! I'm hoping your dh is feeling much better by now, and that the redness has gone down. I didn't realize you only had to change the bag--I thought it was the tube. You're a good nurse, Jasdip! Quick healing wishes to hubby.

I'm catching up and hoping that the weekend went well and this week will be much more comfortable. ((((HUGS)))) and prayers.

Thanks again for all of your well wishes. He's still having pains because of the infection, and takes either Tylenol or his percaset. He has enough antibiotics to last 3 more days.
If the pain doesn't subside by then, I guess it's another trip to the doctor for another blood-check and another kind of antibiotic, maybe? The emergency room nurses did tell us that antibiotics if a guess/crap-shoot to see which ones work.

Now we're dealing with the incontinence which is a side-effect. He can't feel when his bladder is full, and has had some accidents when he gets up in the morning. Men's "depends" is our friend :-). He wears day and nite.

Is he doing Kegel exercises to help regain his bladder control? The incontinence can last for months, some few never regain complete control. But the exercises do help.

Hope the pain diminishes soon & he begins to feel better soon. DH had the same surgery, so BTDT & got the t-shirt. Now he can pee like an 18 yr. old! LOL

jas,

Gosh I hope he gets better soon. Check out the published side effects of percocet:

"Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking acetaminophen / oxycodone [percocet is its trade name]:

â¢Abdominal or stomach pain
â¢black, tarry stools
â¢chills
â¢dark urine
â¢dizziness
â¢fever
â¢headache
â¢itching
â¢light-colored stools
â¢loss of appetite
â¢nausea
â¢rash
â¢unpleasant breath odor
â¢unusual tiredness or weakness
â¢vomiting of blood
â¢yellow eyes or skin"

Bee thanks so much for chiming in. Yes, he's doing the exercises.

Rob, I'll make notes of the side-effects and show them to him.

OT: May I ask the spouses of men who have had prostate surgery a few questions?

Although my DH (75) has not had any problems, and his MD even ceased the blood testing for this, I'd like to know how you saw this begin -- and at what age. How did it progress? What was tried before surgery?

Always learning -- and trying to keep ahead of trouble!

Sue, as far as my hubby, his bladder wasn't completely emptying. He's had that problem for years, he was always slow to start peeing. Had that all his life.

The not emptying, showed up in his urine tests. The urologist has a special toilet that measures the amount of urine peed, and left in his bladder.

His PSA levels were high, and not coming down as quick as it should with medication. PSA is a test with simple blood work. High PSA's is a sign of potential cancer

He had 2 scopes (up his petey-bird) and had biopsies on his prostate, where they took 13 samples. No sign of any cancer.

To increase the flow, and have his bladder empty, the doctor performed a TURP. He drilled out his uretha for better flow. He felt great and could go like a race-horse, and didn't get up in the nite anymore to go to the bathroom. But THAT is where the cancer was found, from the guts they removed.

That's the problem with prostate cancer, there are no signs. No pain, bleeding, swelling, anything out of the ordinary. PSA tests are encouraged for men as that is where the first signs often show.

Prostate cancer are 3 kinds......a very slow-developing one, where doctors just do a wait-and-see, just do periodic check-ups, intermediate (that's what hubby had) and radical.

One thing we learned and were very surprised, with radiation, cancer often returns. A 30% chance. Since hubby just turned 60, he didn't want to go through it again, so opted for surgery. Also once you have radiation, surgery is almost impossible. That, we were surprised at.

My dh's prostate cancer was found @ age 65 after elevated PSA. He was treated initially with antibiotics for possible prostatitus, but the follow up PSA did not decline. The cancer was not felt on exam. Next step was prostate biopsy, 3 of 14 specimens were +for cancer. The choices he was given: radical prostatectomy surgery, external beam radiation, implant radiation of "seeds" in the prostate, or "watchful waiting"...all viable options. He opted for the surgery via the surgeon using the DaVinci robot (very important to have surgeon who has performed many of these procedures). It was very successful, margins clean (no spread, caught early). No post op complications. Had incontinence of urine for a few months (typical), but now has full control. It will be 2 yrs in Oct that he had surgery.

Like most men past age 50 he had prostatic enlargement, actually pretty severe & he had symptoms related to that (urgency, hesitancy, slow/poor stream). Even without the cancer he would have eventually needed some form of treatment. But that was a bonus of the complete prostate removal...goes like a race horse, as Jasdip says. LOL

Prostate cancer is #1 most common for men & #2 killer cancer, but if found in very elderly, it is usually not deadly, they die with it, not from it. I had a dear friend whose dh died from prostate ca, age 67. Having screening PSA's is not without controversy. It seems valid to cease doing them at your dh's age 75, Chisue. If you have any questions, I'll be glad to try to answer.

Like Bee, hubby had surgery via "Leonardo" the DaVinci robot. The team calls the robot affectionately, Leonardo or Leo.

If your surgeon performs the surgery using the robot that is the way to go! Released from the hospital the following morning, vs a 3-4 stay with the manual procedure, a very quick recovery, and 6 pinhole marks where they entered the abdomen.

There's no sign of scarring now at all, and it's been 16 days since hubby's surgery. He's also feeling much better, he encountered infection, but that can come with any abdominal surgery and catheter.

We go back in 8 weeks to see if the cancer has spread to the bladder or anywhere else. It was centered in the prostate but the bladder is next to it, so it's an assurance.

As Bee also mentioned there are a vast number of men who have prostate cancer, and many die with it, not because of it.

This old guy who's being checked ongoing for prostate issues thanks you for your information, ladies.

ole joyful

if it makes anyone feel better... one of the things I distinctly remember my university health professor saying... every man will have problems with their prostate if they live long enough. That's good you've lived a long time! Aw. How about hugs?

jasdip, that list sounds like it could be similar to somethings you described. I wonder if it's causing problems rather than helping. Or not. But a possibility?

Hi Rob,
He hasn't been taking the Percacet for a couple or so days as he hasn't had any pain.

He's still careful of lifting anything heavy (nothing heavier than a laptop, and of being away from home for any length of time because of the incontinence issue. He's feeling better and better each day, still tires easily but everything is moving along in the right direction.

my dh just turned 65, but his primary phys, has done blood work about every year (he has to have blood drawn, thyroid, anyway) since his late 50's?

Thank You! The KT has never failed to respond to a question!

DH occasionally has some hesitancy, but nothing remarkable. He has physicals alternate years. He never had an elevated PSA, and his MD agreed to stop ordering that test after age 72.

I had a bladder biopsy -- ouch -- and negative -- several years for trace blood in my urine. My MD and I have concluded this is from having had kidney stones -- even surgery for a staghorn calculus. In the last year my own urination has ceased to be as immediate and quick as it's been all my life...that 'elderly' thing again! Sometimes I feel like an antique car -- 'hoses' deteriorating from age.

Best wishes for continuing progress for Mr. Jasdip. How encouraging to hear well Mr. Bee recovered.

Aren't these modern inventions/activities a caution!

So - they're doing calculus inside one's body, now??

What's next!?!?

o j

P.S. I'm rather surprised that the minders haven't jumped on me for making multiple entries on the same thread, today.

Passage of time ... going elsewhere in between, maybe?

(still) o j